HeadStrong Off-Road Forum Member Appreciation Give-A-Way:

Hello Tacoma World, 4Runners.com and Tundras.com Members.

We wanted to take this time to show our gratitude and appreciation to our forum family members. We know that right now a lot of people are being affected by the pandemic and are home as a result. We thought we would help lighten spirits and do a fun give-a-way (before you ask it isn’t toilet paper) it’s a SmityBilt X20 10k winch with wireless controller.

https://www.headstrongoffroad.com/store/p387/SmittyBilt_X20_10K_Winch_-_97510.html

Details:

Contest will start 12:01am Monday March 30th and the contest will end at midnight Sunday April 5th.

Anyone who is a member of one of these three forums (Tacoma World, 4Runners.com and Tundras.com) can participate providing they have been a member prior to the date of this post which is 3-27-2020. We are trying to limit people becoming members just to enter the contest.

To enter you must tell/show us why you deserve to win a winch. It can be funny, sad, silly, written, photos, etc. Creativity is always appreciated!! Do remember to keep it clean J

You will post your entry to the thread below and please only one entry per person even if you belong to multiple forums. Anyone caught taking advantage will be disqualified. Remember this is to be a fun and light hearted competition so don’t be that person

We here at HeadStrong Off-Road will narrow it down to our top 5 entries and then we will post all 5 semi-finalists across the forums and the community will decide on the WINNER.

The entry with the highest votes as of Friday April 10th at 9am PST will be considered the winner. If there is a tie we will randomly select the winner (coin toss or similar).

We will cover the shipping costs of the winch to anyone within the lower 48 States. If the winner is located outside of this area they will be responsible for the added shipping costs.

EDIT: We had so many worthy entries. Rob and I narrowed it down to our favorite 10 and then draw numbers for the top 5. Please use the poll to cast you vote. Only one entry per member.

Here is the voting thread link:

https://www.4runners.com/threads/he...-appreciation-give-a-way-voting-thread.13082/

For reference here is a link to another give-a-way we did and the winning submissions:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/headstrong-cash-give-a-way-contest-closed.472873/

Please feel free to PM us if you have any questions.

Good Luck and Have Fun!

The HeadStrong Crew

 

I need the winch so I have an excuse to buy the bumper.

 

This little guy loves working on the truck with dad but we need more parts to install.

 

I am glad to hear it. We just figured it may help someone out there get something they need. You can always enter if you win we can ship it to someone else if you wanted to gift someone with a winch.

 

What a cutie!

 

I don’t want it, nor do I need it. However if I’m picked I will resell the item and give everything from selling it to a non profit to help someone in need. (Donation receipt will be provided)

https://give.shfb.org/covid-19?appeal=3075

 

That is a great idea! Now to come up with a winning post

 

Happy Monday everyone. Feel free to post up why you'd like to win a 10K winch!

 

I was a stay at home father raising our autistic son from his birth in 2004 until 2016 when I decided to to go back to work. It was time to return to work after his remarkable transformation from a special education student to finally being mainstreamed in high school. Our son probably deserves this more than me as he endured many hours, years of corrective behavioral therapy and many medications that finally resulted in one that drastically improved his condition. Fortunately, my wife's job was enough to keep us fed and healthy.

During my stay at home dad tour, my son and I enjoyed driving cross country every summer to see my family in Maryland. Our first journey cross country was in a 97 4Runner more times than I can count, followed by a Mazda 3 and eventually our 2012 4Runner.

One thing he admired most about our road trips, whether local or these long hauls, was going off road in the 4Runners's and experiencing life off the beaten path. Even in his rough years, when we drove through the Ahtanum State Forest in Yakima, Wa... he always seemed to calm down and enjoy the clean air and beautiful scenery that was in our own back yard. Even on our cross country trips, stopping in Sturgis for bike week, traveling to Devil's Tower, The Badlands, he always enjoyed the adventure.

I am happy, elated and overjoyed of the path me and my wife helped guide our son on to be a productive member of society. He is looking forward to enlisting in Navy when he graduates from High School.

 

May 1st marks 14 years since my wife and I lost our 24 year old son and my wrenching buddy Ryan due to a fatal illness. He and I swapped engines, rebuilt transfer cases, did Jeep and Toyota suspension modifications, brought a 1988 Toyota 4x4 pickup back from the dead, and bought and restored many other vehicles. I miss him every time I work on my vehicles, and still have his tools, which I'll keep forever. He and I never had the chance to install a winch, but I'd love to have an opportunity to do it in his honor.

Keep your fingers crossed Ryan - we might have one more job to do.

Photo of Ryan and his sister Michelle on a ski trip some years back:

 

I am sorry for your loss of your son and friend!! Memories, are wonderful things to hold on to!!

 

I traded my full custom 92 s10 about 6 years ago for my first Toyota, first 4runner, 86 first gen while I was stationed at Fort Benning Ga. I was supposed to go to alaska and my little s10 with 383 and street tires was not going to take me where I want to go in Alaska lol. After trading and getting ready orders changed and I went to Fort Carson Colorado. But a recent divorce, deployment and new family kept the funds low and the 4runner in storage. It's a Alabama rig with no rust and I didnt want to do a little here and there. I want to do it all inside and out. I'm now out of active duty and in the national guard back home in Wi. Full time job is building fire trucks for Pierce Manufacturing. I now have time and enough parts saved to start my build but I am missing a winch for the bumper. The end goal is a clean trail rig I can teach my step son and his baby brother how to drive a stick and it will be both there first truck. My step son 8 and loves helping me work on it and cant wait for the day it's his. Thanks for doing this it's nice to see people doing good by other. Stay safe and healthy everyone and good luck.

 

I really don't have a great story to tell, but it means something to me, so I'll share anyways.

This is a story about a 2016 4Runner which might have saved our marriage (corny intro) and also changed our outlook on life (not corny, this is true).

2015, watched a few YouTube videos about off-roading and thought, what a dumb thing to do. At this point in time my wife and I were having some trouble after 11 years of marriage. I thought, eh, moonshot, let's stop being so boring. She wanted a 4Runner, I said I don't care as long as it's 4x4. Bought it, she was upset. The 4Runner didn't have auto headlights, power liftgate, remote start, and bunch of stuff we didn't think we could live without.

Started off-roading, first place was Hidden Falls ORV Park near Austin, TX. We were on a dirt road in 4LO, we had no idea what we were doing. Pretty sure I ran 44PSI on highway tires and we'd stop and panic before hitting every single bump. One funny thing was, when we would hit something underneath, to keep my wife from panicking, I'd tell her it was a mudflap, so ignore that noise (I had no idea if it was...just wanted to calm her). From that day on, even years later, when we hit something really hard, we laugh and call it just a mudflap!

Anyways, shortly thereafter, maybe 6 months, I was poking around Tacomaworld and found some people in my area going to Barnwell Mountain. I just took a chance, rolled the die, and told them I'd join up for a ride. I ended up meeting some people on that trip that, only a short 4 years later, feel like lifelong friends. These people really got us...the camping, the love of vehicles, the desire to explore and adventure.

With Jambo (yea you know what I'm talking 'bout!) quickly approaching, the 4Runner needed a lift. I researched heavily and determined Marie @HeadStrong Off-Road knew her stuff. Called her up, ordered and lift, and my new Toyota friends helped me install in my driveway. Tires and lift really take these things to the next level, and we triumphantly ventured to the Lone Star Toyota Jamboree that year in style!

At Jambo, our band of misfits doubled, many new faces. The great part was the diversity. We had grandparents...kids in college...married couples....married with children (Great show!)...people in their 60's, people in their 20's, and all in between. As with our other friends, many these Toyota people just get us. We bonded quickly and started planning trips.

We started taking road trips, such as Big Bend, Smokey Mountains, Arkansas, and this year Colorado (yasss).

Truthfully, our 4Runner didn't save our marriage, it was just the tool that added the much needed adventure to our lives, and ask us to move past the complacent.

A month ago, one of my Toyota family (one of the original ones from 2016) called and said he and his wife wanted that 4Runner, and asked if I'd sell it. To be clear, it wasn't for sale, but he's the one who helped me install the lift, do the bumpers, weld junk, ECGS Bushing it, etc. So just for him, I worked to make him a super good deal to ensure it would be a great buy. The wife and I agreed the best thing for the truck would be to keep it and adventure, or send to a friend to adventure; but it needed to keep living it's truck's life to the fullest. He picked it up a few weeks ago. While we'll miss that truck, nothing has changed, our relationship has remained strong, and our desire to adventure only increased.

That truck has a 10k Smittybilt X20 winch, which is what triggered these memories. I sold everything intact so he would be immediately ready to go.

I'm currently building up my 2020 4Runner ORP so my wife and 5 y/o son can continue our journey. The lift will come first, but the winch is on my short list, it's just not essential to completing the build yet.

One final comment, the friend who bought my 4Runner might be coming to Colorado with us this year! It would be fantastic to see my friends driving our shared projects (he helped me on this one too already). What's cool to consider is that both our 4Runners now are the way they are because both of us worked on both of them. It takes a village

 

@gunsnob and @glwood54 I couldn't imagine the strength and perseverance that both of you had to go through in regards to your sons. Thank you so much for sharing your stories with us it means a lot.

 

In some cases a truck build can pull a marriage apart so it is good to see that yours not only brought you and your wife closer but you guys, as a couple, closer to other like minded people. I do love the part about the diversity. I have been helping people build their trucks for nearly 9 years now. The trucks are similar, the questions I get are similar, the brands of the products and what they do are similar, but the people are vastly different. It is what keeps me interested too be honest. I have had clients who build super cars or work for NASA while I've had others that live in their vehicles and ones that are "insta-famous." For me, personally, it is really great to see that people from all walks of life can have a common thread.

 

BUMP BUMP only two days left to enter

 

I think you meant "perseverance"

Stupid autocorrect!

 

Bump!

This is a great deal, everyone!

I'd add my story, but I installed a winch 2 weeks ago.

 

So I can convince the lady that since I didn’t pay for the winch the incoming $1200 check can go to more car parts

 

Yes Yes I did

 

Well, cheers to you guys for what you're doing over there! I hope this FREE WINCH will go to a deserving person!

 

Me too!

 

One day left to get your entries in

 

Sorry it took me a bit to get this going today...We had so many worthy entries. Rob and I narrowed it down to our favorite 10 and then draw numbers for the top 5. Please use the poll to cast you vote. Only one entry per member.

Here is the voting thread link:

https://www.4runners.com/threads/he...-appreciation-give-a-way-voting-thread.13082/